My problem is with how this post is named (because it is simply not true!): “This Guy Started
with Nothing. What he had just 6 weeks
later is amazing.”

A.A couple lines into the article it says: “With a
Thai friend’s guidance, his son-in-law’s masonry skills and a lot of work, the
team made progress quickly.”

a.What part of “a Thai friend’s guidance” and “his
son-in-law’s masonry skills” are nothing? Clearly, that is something. Those are both
two very important things to have to build a wonderful house from scratch.

B.The SECOND line of the article is: “When Steve
Areen thought about building his dream home, all he had to do was find $9,000
and a place to build.”

a.He had to find $9,000! NINE THOUSAND DOLLARS! – That is ALSO not nothing. That is $9,000. It’s not like he built it out of found
materials. Sure, the next time I have
$9,000, I will move down to Thailand to build my wonder hut. Which brings me to my next point…

C.What is he doing in Thailand anyway? I’m sure he is employed in some way –
otherwise, where did he get $9,000 to build his house. Also, he had to GET to Thailand – that must
have cost money as well, unless he fashioned a boat out of sticks and navigated
down, or walked (or, if he is a native of Thailand – he lives in Thailand! Materials & labour are sooooo much cheaper
down there. The rest of us who live in places with things called Labour Laws may have a harder time finding land and money to do the same.)

D.I still think the house he built is super cool
and deserves the attention, but SERIOUSLY, the guy did not start with
NOTHING! He knew some people and had
some contacts and made it happen for cheap.
Still pretty cool, but not something the bum on the street corner can go
do.

E.Also, who designed the thing? The article doesn’t mention that or how much
that cost… unless the dude is an architect (in which case, excellent education
is also not nothing – that is a very valuable something).

In short – this guy did not start out with NOTHING. It should be named "Look at the super cool house that this well-educated resourceful man with lots of cool contacts used his savings to build" (but I realize that may not be as catchy). Let's actually evaluate what it means to have nothing and start putting the proper value on the things we do have.

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Welcome to Art Thief!

After a few failed attempts at creating "themed story" blogs, I have been inspired to create a blog with the true intention of the format: a simple web log of my inspirations as a writer and artist.

This blog is dedicated to Austin Kleon, whose book Steal Like an Artist, has been my primary inspiration.

In this book, Kleon discusses how all art is stolen in some way and a good artist knows what is worth stealing. As artists, we cannot fool ourselves into thinking that everything we create is original. We all draw our inspiration from many sources and we steal little gems from each one to develop our own body of work. Kleon's book outlines simple practices to ensure that you keep your art alive; one being: SHARE YOUR WORK.

Thief Profile

Good thieves never reveal their identity... although, good thieves don't likely advertise their plunders to the rest of the world either.

Art Thief, aka AJ, keeps her home in Toronto, Canada; though work often pulls her to every corner of the globe.

AJ is a writer and teacher disguised as a mild mannered stage manager. She loves working in theatre and being able to surround herself with some of the best artists in the industry (while plotting to take over the world with her own work). As a stage manager, AJ is constantly immersed in all forms of art. Talk about inspiration overload! The number of stories and characters that fill each day is more than any writer could ask. The goal now: keep up!

AJ is working on a lot of projects in 2013, including: the first full length run of her play, Empty Boxes; and the launch of Homestead Theatre Project. Stay tuned in the Happenings section of this blog for details.